While ANC councillor in the Eastern Cape Andile Lungisa said the commission is “mutating into a potential new factional battleground”.

The State Capture Inquiry (amongst others) is supposed to be an attempt by the ANC to recover its electoral standing and its renewed commitment to clean government – a mea culpa to the populace. But it is clear that it is mutating into potential new factional battleground.

Mantashe concluded his testimony on Tuesday in Parktown on behalf of the ANC.

He says while the testimony coming out of the commission implicates some ANC leaders, it’s not dividing the party.

“If we accuse this commission of any division or symbolise of division to the commission, we will be economical with facts; it can’t be. The commission is dealing with issues that have been bothering for a long time.

“The fact that we agreed the commission is going to be established, we knew that there were difficult issues and we needed an independent body to deal with them and this commission is such an independent body. We are quite comfortable with the work that it’s doing, that’s why we started with that opening statement.”